The present disclosure relates generally to electronic displays and, more specifically, to displays with integrated thermal sensors.
This section is intended to introduce the reader to various aspects of art that may be related to various aspects of the present disclosure, which are described and/or claimed below. This discussion is believed to be helpful in providing the reader with background information to facilitate a better understanding of the various aspects of the present disclosure. Accordingly, it should be understood that these statements are to be read in this light, and not as admissions of prior art.
Electronic devices and systems increasingly include display screens as part of the user interface of the device or system. As may be appreciated, display screens may be employed in a wide array of devices and systems, including desktop computer systems, notebook computers, and handheld computing devices, as well as various consumer products, such as cellular phones, televisions, and portable media players.
To display images, videos, and user interfaces, displays use arrays of pixels, each pixel having multiple colors. Primary colors of light (e.g., red, green, and blue) may be combined in each pixel to create many other colors, including white. Controllers drive pixels with coordinated instructions to create an image on the display. Some displays involve illuminating a backlight through a light-modulating liquid crystal layer (e.g., typical liquid crystal displays) while others involve directly illuminating each pixel to a desired intensity (e.g., organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays).
Because each OLED may emit its own colored light, OLED displays may be thinner and lighter than displays requiring a backlight. OLEDs may also be desirable because they may be fabricated on flexible or rigid substrates. OLED displays may also allow better viewing angles and better color than some liquid crystal displays (LCDs).
However, the appearance of OLED displays may not remain constant indefinitely. As OLED displays age through use, their brightness and/or color may change. Some OLEDs, particularly blue OLEDs, age more quickly than others, which may change the appearance of the display. Furthermore, aging may be accelerated by heat.
While OLED displays do not require a backlight, a variety of other electrical components may be placed in various locations beneath a display. These components facilitate the operation and function of the electronic device. Some components of an electronic device that may be beneath an OLED display include processors, radio transmitters, batteries, speakers, cameras etc. Some of these components draw current and may warm during use. Some components, such as a processor or radio transmitter, may get particularly warm during use or extended use. As a result, portions of the display may also warm due to these warming components beneath the display. Moreover, because some components may warm more than other components, some portions of the display may warm more than other portions.
Heat may affect characteristics of emitted light from OLEDs. In addition to accelerating aging, the color and brightness of light emitted by OLEDs may be affected by the operating temperature. The brightness of some OLEDs, particularly red OLEDs, may decrease as operating temperatures increase. Over time as each OLED ages due to use and temperature, images shown on parts of the display may appear different from the intended image. Controllers may make changes to compensate for such shifts in brightness and color. However, color and brightness shifts may occur differently across a display due to unpredictable use of each OLED and the components beneath each OLED.